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Perception Exclusive: Scott Wolf Previews Season 3, The Future of Donnie and Kate

Perception Season 2 ended with some major character decisions, from Daniel quitting his job and jetting off to Paris to Kate perhaps convincing Donnie to stay.

In anticipation of tonight's return, I talked to Scott Wolf about the future of Donnie and Kate’s relationship, how that will play out with Daniel in the mix and what’s in store for the Perception Season 3 premiere.

Read on for excepts from our Q&A…

Donnie made a pretty big decision to stay in Perception Season 2 Episode 14, so do you think that will mean we’ll see him and Kate as more than friends and co-workers?

In a word, yes. I think there’s a little ambiguity after last year as to what that exact moment did or didn’t mean, but I think most people took it as he was going to stay. So yeah, the fact that Kate has now decided she’s willing to open herself up to the possibility of a second chance means that Season 3 we’ll explore that relationship a lot deeper. It gets a lot more complicated in good ways and not so great ways, but without giving anything away, it’s a strong part of the story throughout this whole new season.

To me, it’s a really compelling story. There’s two people who clearly love each other and somehow want to be with each other and are trying to overcome some broken trust. Ultimately, it still remains to be seen whether they can get back to what they were or not, but I’m glad they are trying.

Do you think there might be any other women that catch Donnie’s attention this season or is he focused solely on Kate?

I think he’s extremely committed to Kate and the idea of being with her. The fact that this guy has a nature that allows for the possibility of that? I mean, the fact that you can even ask will another woman catch his eye, I think makes the story interesting and challenging. And some people want to slap him because of it, but I think there’s some tension and drama that gets added by the fact that if someone is capable of doing something like he did [cheat on Kate in the past], will he do it again. Things happen at certain points in the season that challenge those ideas and call things into question. But I’m personally rooting for Kate and Donnie.

The majority of last season, and I was proud of the way that story was written and the writers were able to write a season long arc for Donnie, was about a guy attempting personal redemption and trying to transform himself to be a better person and get the love of his live back. So that was really a cool story and seeing the lengths he was willing to go to and the duration that he was willing to be a punching bag. In the end, he wound up being the one to walk away from it because she probably wasn’t going to ever be able to do it.

So, this season, once the two of them are pointed back towards each other, it’s almost like where last season was Donnie trying to be a better man, this year is Donnie trying to stay a better man. The effort to keep things going well is just as challenging at times for Donnie as just getting things even going again with Kate. And there’s still a side of him that’s working with Kate and Daniel, and you still see the same kind of “by any means necessary” guy in terms of his work life. But, personally, I think there’s a softer side that comes out for Donnie as he gets this opportunity to potentially rebuild his relationship.

Will we see any team-ups with just Donnie and Daniel, and how will there relationship grow?

I mean it’s great that the opportunities that Eric [McCormack] and I had to be a crime solving duo last year was awfully fun. There’s a real odd couple dynamic. Yes, there are more opportunities to see the two of them alongside each other. And that relationship is the same in the sense that you have this odd couple, just completely different styles working together, and they have this woman between them. Regardless of what Daniel may or may not want out of that relationship, Kate is still the woman between them. But the new thing at play is rather than Donnie being the guy Kate was holding off, she's becoming more open to him, and it affects Daniel and Donnie's relationship. As the season moves on and Donnie and Kate’s relationship is potentially growing, that starts to have an impact on Daniel. And I think that ultimately for fans of the show who still pine for Daniel and Kate to be together, I think this will be an interesting year for them.

In a word, Paris. This really great episode gets us started on the season. At the end of last season, Daniel has gone to Paris to start a life there, and it doesn’t take long before he finds himself embroiled in a case there that threatens him and seemingly his sanity. Some people may come to his rescue, and Donnie and Kate wind up there trying to sort what’s going on with him because it sounds like he’s in big trouble.

It was an amazing opportunity to, again, get into a fascinating case, and one that’s a global case with espionage elements to it. And I think a cool thing is taking a cast of characters you’re familiar with and dropping them in a new place, especially in an iconic city like Paris. It makes for a great experience shooting it. I’m excited for people to get a chance to see it.